Field of the Invention
The present inventions relate to at least one image-capturing apparatus, at least one control method of an image-capturing apparatus, at least one program and at least one storage medium. More particularly, the present inventions relate to a technique for inserting and removing an infrared light cut filter into and from an optical path of an image-capturing optical system.
Description of the Related Art
In the past, an image-capturing apparatus configured to switch visible light image-capturing and infrared light image-capturing by inserting or removing an infrared light cut filter into and from an optical path of an image-capturing optical system has been known. In this case, the visible light image-capturing unit that an image-capturing apparatus captures an image of a subject while the infrared light cut filter is inserted into the optical path of the image-capturing optical system. On the other hand, the infrared light image-capturing unit that an image-capturing apparatus captures an image of a subject while the infrared light cut filter is removed from the optical path of the image-capturing optical system.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H 7-107355 discloses an image-capturing apparatus that controls insertion and removal of the infrared light cut filter into and from the optical path of the image-capturing optical system by determining the brightness of the external environment.
With the rapid spread of network techniques, the user's needs for controlling an image-capturing apparatus via a network from an external apparatus are rising. In this rise of the needs, the control of the insertion and removal of the infrared light cut filter into and from the optical path of the image-capturing optical system is not the exception.
However, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H 7-107355, the settings of the control of the insertion and removal of the infrared light cut filter into and from the optical path of the image-capturing optical system are not expected to be configured via a network from an external apparatus. Further, in the future, it is expected that users may desire, as such settings, the brightness of the subject of the image-capturing apparatus and a delay time for insertion and removal of the infrared light cut filter into and from the optical path of the image-capturing optical system.
However, such settings may not be necessarily appropriately configured from an external apparatus. For example, if such settings are not configured appropriately, the infrared light cut filter may be inserted into the optical path of the image-capturing optical system even though the brightness of the subject of the image-capturing apparatus is low, and this subject in the captured image may be underexposed. Alternatively, the infrared light cut filter may be removed from the optical path even though the brightness is high, and this subject in the captured image may be overexposed.